2027 Best Online Two-Year Degrees With Weekend Classes

Business Programs

An AA or AS in business is often designed for transfer, while an AAS may emphasize accounting, office operations, or other workplace skills. Reading, discussion, and spreadsheet assignments can often be completed on weekends if courses are asynchronous. Check whether group projects, exams, and required courses impose weekday meeting times. Choose a transfer pathway if a bachelor's degree is your goal; choose a career-focused curriculum if its specific skills match the jobs you plan to seek.

Healthcare Programs

Healthcare administration and medical coding coursework may offer more weekend flexibility than hands-on allied-health programs. An AAS in a clinical field may require supervised practice, labs, or an approved local placement at times set by the site rather than the college. Before choosing a program, identify the occupation you want and ask whether its curriculum meets relevant certification or state requirements. An online degree alone does not establish eligibility for a regulated healthcare role.

Information Technology Programs

An AS in computer science may suit students planning to transfer; an AAS in IT or networking may focus more directly on support and technical skills. Online labs can sometimes be done on weekends, but team projects, live sessions, or proctored exams may have fixed times. Compare the tools taught with entry-level job descriptions, and ask whether certifications are included, optional, or separately priced. A degree builds a foundation; it does not substitute for every skill or credential an employer requests.

Nursing / Pre-Nursing Programs

A pre-nursing AS can cover prerequisites for a later nursing application; it does not itself qualify a student for registered nurse licensure. An associate degree in nursing combines coursework with labs and supervised clinical experience, and admission to the nursing major may be selective even at an open-admission college. Some clinical shifts may occur on weekends, but availability varies. Confirm placement schedules, state board approval, and whether the program meets educational requirements for the licensing examination where you intend to practice.

Criminal Justice Programs

Criminal justice AA and AS pathways often support transfer, while AAS programs may emphasize applied public-safety coursework. Online reading and case analysis can fit weekend study, provided required classes are offered without weekday meetings. Match the curriculum to your goal: law enforcement hiring typically has separate academy, background, physical, and agency requirements. An associate degree can support an application but does not replace those steps or guarantee a position.

Psychology / Counseling Programs

An AA or AS in psychology can be a flexible starting point for transfer because introductory coursework often works well online. It is not a direct route to independent counseling practice, which generally requires graduate education and state licensure. Look for an articulation agreement that applies your courses to the intended bachelor's major. If you want a job sooner, compare human-services AAS programs, while checking whether fieldwork or practicums require weekday availability.

The best fit depends on what "weekend classes" means for you. If you need to study on weekends rather than attend live weekend meetings, asynchronous business, IT, and transfer-oriented social science programs are strong starting points. If you need a scheduled Saturday or Sunday class, the deciding factor is the college's current course timetable - not the major's name.

This comparison separates likely scheduling advantages from requirements that can make an otherwise appealing degree impractical.

None of these fields reliably comes with live weekend classes at every school. If your schedule cannot accommodate a single weekday obligation, request a term-by-term plan before paying an enrollment deposit. Comparisons of online associate degree programs can help you explore formats, but a short course length does not establish that an entire degree - or its required meetings - will fit your schedule.

There is no dependable nationwide list of accredited colleges whose entire online associate degree can be completed through live weekend classes. Offerings can change by term, and a college may schedule a Saturday elective while requiring a weekday prerequisite. Naming a college without confirming every required course could mislead students who cannot attend on weekdays.

Start with public community colleges in your state and accredited institutions offering your intended major. For each, ask the registrar or program advisor for a recent schedule and a projected schedule for required courses - not just a description of the online program. Verify institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation database or the accreditor, then check any occupation-specific approval. A guide to accredited online degree programs can broaden your search, but confirm accreditation and weekend availability directly before enrolling.

"Weekend classes" can describe two different arrangements: a live class meeting on Saturday or Sunday, or an asynchronous class whose lectures and assignments you can complete over the weekend. Asynchronous does not mean deadline-free. Discussion posts, group meetings, exams, and weekly submissions may still fall on weekdays.

Most associate programs combine general education with major courses and commonly total about 60 credits. A full-time student may finish in roughly two years when courses are available in sequence; part-time enrollment, prerequisites, transfer evaluations, and clinical placements can extend that timeline. Ask whether every required course is offered in the format you need and how often it runs. A fully online lecture schedule does not rule out local practicums, proctored assessments, or other in-person requirements.

Students usually take writing, mathematics, and other general education courses alongside major requirements. Business programs may include accounting and management; IT programs may include programming, networking, or support; psychology programs may introduce research methods and human behavior. Career-focused AAS curricula generally devote more space to applied courses, while many AA and AS curricula emphasize courses intended to transfer. The designation alone is not proof that a particular course will count toward a bachelor's degree.

For weekend study, look beyond course titles to how learning is assessed. A virtual lab you can complete independently presents a different scheduling challenge from a supervised clinical rotation or a group presentation requiring live attendance.

Typical college admission starts with an application and proof of a high school diploma or equivalent. Colleges may also request transcripts to place students in appropriate courses or evaluate previous credit. Policies on GPA and standardized tests vary, so check the current requirements rather than assuming an online program waives them.

Admission to the college is not always admission to the major. Nursing and some allied-health programs may have separate prerequisites, grades, entrance assessments, background checks, or limited seats. If you have prior college credit, request an evaluation showing which credits satisfy degree requirements; accepted credits that count only as electives may save less time than expected.

The College Board's 2024-25 estimate of $4,050 in average published tuition and fees for in-district public two-year college students is a useful benchmark, not a quote for an online degree. Your total depends on residency rules, remaining credits, mandatory online or program fees, books, equipment, and any travel or clinical expenses. A program that lets you study on weekends may cost more overall if it requires extra terms or has limited course availability.

Request a written estimate based on your enrollment pace and transfer-credit evaluation. Compare tuition and mandatory fees with the full cost of attendance, then ask about scholarships, employer assistance, payment plans, and eligibility for federal financial aid. Lower published tuition is not necessarily the lowest final cost.

A career-focused associate degree may help candidates pursue entry-level business operations, bookkeeping support, IT support, or medical records work, depending on the curriculum and employer requirements. Some healthcare roles require a particular accredited program, certification, examination, or license. An associate degree in nursing can be one educational route toward registered nurse licensure, but graduates must also meet state requirements and pass the applicable licensing examination.

Transfer-oriented degrees serve a different purpose: they can establish a foundation for a bachelor's degree rather than prepare students for one defined occupation. If your goal is psychology practice, for example, plan for education beyond the associate level. If you prefer independent, detail-focused work, a discussion of good paying jobs for introverts may help you explore job characteristics - but assess actual duties and qualifications before choosing a major.

Pay varies substantially by occupation, location, experience, and employer; it cannot be inferred from the degree title. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2024 median annual wage of $93,600 for registered nurses. That figure describes workers in the occupation, not the earnings of associate degree graduates or newly licensed nurses. It is relevant only if you complete an eligible nursing pathway and meet licensing requirements.

Use Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational profiles to compare the latest wage and employment projections for the specific job you want. Then review local postings for entry requirements and scheduling expectations. Growth projections indicate broad demand, not a guaranteed opening, salary, or weekend work schedule for an individual graduate.

The most important test is whether a program fits both your career goal and your real weekly availability. Before applying, use the following sequence to rule out costly mismatches:

1. Define whether you need live weekend meetings, the ability to complete asynchronous work on weekends, or both; ask for required-course schedules and deadline policies.
2. Verify institutional accreditation and, for a regulated occupation, the program approval or accreditation relevant to licensing in your intended state.
3. Request a degree map showing required credits, prerequisites, course rotation, in-person components, and an estimated finish date at your planned course load.
4. Get a personalized total-cost estimate and, if transferring later, written guidance on how specific courses apply to the intended bachelor's program.

Be cautious if a school calls a program "fully flexible" but cannot clarify clinical hours, synchronous attendance, or when required classes run. Likewise, a promise that credits "transfer" is less useful than confirmation that they satisfy requirements in your intended major. For perspective on how accreditation affects later study, you can also explore cheap online PhD programs; that is a much longer educational path, not a substitute for checking the associate program's immediate fit.

• WAC 250-61-100: - WA.gov https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx
• Types of Degrees and Credentials | ohio.gov https://highered.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odhe/students/higher-education-in-ohio/types-of-degrees/types-of-degrees-and-credentials
• iCollin Virtual Campus - Collin College https://www.collin.edu/campuses/icollin/index.html
• Credit for Prior Learning - SLCC https://www.slcc.edu/policies/policies/academic_affairs/1.1.060.aspx
• SUNY Reconnect https://www.suny.edu/reconnect/
• Online Associate Degree Programs | California Coast University https://www.calcoast.edu/news/online-associate-degree-at-ccu
• Online | Coastline College https://www.coastline.edu/locations/online.php
• Catalog and Classes | Elgin Community College (ECC) https://elgin.edu/academics/catalog-classes/
• Associate in Science (A.S.) Degrees | Valencia College https://catalog.valenciacollege.edu/degrees/associateinscience/
• Degree & Certificate Overviews - Ozarks Technical Community College https://catalog.otc.edu/content.php